Buy Some Time: A Life for a Life
by Lecta
Summary: [Mid-OotP] Sirius is saved at the last moment. Harry, enraged by the near death of his godfather and full of bottled hate, uses the most unforgivable curse. The outcome is shocking. Two lives for one. One life for love. Dieing for a little time...
1. Three Seconds

A/n: please don't jump my case if something's not right. I tried to follow the book and not stray too much from the basic plot. This is a Sirius/Lupin fic!!! And yes, I know it's Harry focused in the beginning, but it's necessary...

Harry released Neville, though he was unaware of doing so. He was jumping down the steps again, pulling out his wand, as Dumbledore turned to the dais too. 

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch....

~*~*~*~Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Page 806. Paragraph 1.~*~*~*~

Harry stood in horror for a moment, watching his godfather fall into the veil of no return. He began to move forward, prepared to launch himself at the slowly descending form of Sirius, but someone beat him to it. In a blur of motion Lupin flung himself at Sirius. The seconds passed like days as Remus, his heart beating painfully against his ribcage, reached for his dear friend. It was over in three beats.

One... He was close... He could feel the heat from Sirius' body.

Two... They were touching. One arm had slid between Sirius and the veil... Almost

Three... They collided. Fell sideways. Remus felt his forehead smash into the archway. Darkness..

~*~*~

Harry saw the dissatisfied frown on Bellatrix's face. Saw her raise her wand to finish the unconscious pair off. He didn't think. His wand hand flew up. His own voice sounded odd as he bellowed the first thing that came to mind. He couldn't stop the satisfaction that rose in his throat as the green jet of light surrounded Bellatrix.

He shifted his focus to Sirius and Lupin before the light had faded. He flung himself down beside them. He barely heard his name being called... Barely heard before he fell forward...

~*~*~

Dumbledore didn't shift his attention from the Death Eaters, even when he heard the bellowed spell. He had priorities. But others weren't so clever to hide their shock and curiosity as they turned towards the source of the sudden prickle in the air. They all turned to watch as the first sounds came from the boy's mouth. Even the Death Eaters themselves couldn't help turning to look (Which landed a good number of them under a stun spell). 

His voice rang clear and harsh through the room, the magic prickling through the air, "_AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

There was hate in his voice. Despise. He wanted her dead. With all his heart he wanted to look down at her dead body and sneer. He wanted to see her hit the floor, her eyes wide and blank. All of them were frozen, waiting. Nobody ever got a spell right the first time. Half didn't believe he could make anything more than sparks with the spell. Half of them thought perhaps Potter had just signed his own death slip, that the spell would be reflected back and kill the boy as it had failed to do the first time.

There was a long, tense silence as the jet of green light poured out of his wand towards Bella, who's mouth was curled in a snarl as she raised her wand to deflect the blast of emerald. She had the triumphant glint in her eyes of someone who'd just lost a sickle and found two galleons.

"Harry Potter, today you die!" She said loudly but calmly as the light neared, others were calling to him, "HARRY! Harry no! Look out!" Mad-eye was aiming at Bellatrix, bellowing "_INCARCAROUS!_" Kingsley had bellowed the body-bind spell, and someone else had shouted "STUPEFY!"

The green light seemed to freeze, half-surrounding Bellatrix, unsure of where to go. In the meantime the three other spells hit her and she was bound, frozen and stunned in an instant. Her wand clattered to the ground. Anxious stares snapped back to the green light as it began to move again...

There were shouts and cries and screams as it finally found it's target... No one expected... No one had thought... They were shocked and horrified, and _they_ were filled with surprised joy. It was a day to remember...

~*~*~

A/n: Who's dead...? . .


	2. Good Morning

A/n: We discover who died... Bwahahaha! Harry? Bellatrix? Dumbledore? Neville? Mad-eye? Or maybe Sirius or Lupin... Or both! *Evil cackle* (Lemme know if there is anything I fuck up, k? I know it's still Harry focused, but it'll change in the next chapter. And I'm hoping to make my chapters longer. R & R)

~*~*~

There were mingled cries of shock and dismay as the light not only swallowed Bellatrix but split and devoured another as well. A few of the conscious death eaters let out cries of joy, while some were still transfixed by the body of their comrade. The people of the order stared in horror at the body of the most unlikely person.

They hadn't considered that Dumbledore could've been victimized by that spell...

As the flurry of motion began, some going to check on the three unconscious males by the dais some going to the injured or to Dumbledore, there was a very quiet noise drifting in the background. A whispered sound that nobody heard. Then suddenly the few death eaters who were still conscious jerked their heads around and ceased struggling against the magical ropes that bound them. There was soft laughter resonating through the room.

Moody was trying to revive Tonks. Kingsley was checking Sirius and Lupin for injuries. Soon Tonks had reawakened and was hoisting Harry into a standing position.

"He's only fainted from exertion. An energy renewal spell will perk him right up." Moody gave a wave of his wand and a good shake and Harry was groaning and staring up into his mismatched eyes. "There we go. That's a good lad. Hope you're proud of yourself Potter. Stupid, careless boy."

"Erm...wha happen? Where am I?" He asked groggily, blinking to clear his vision

"You're in the same place as when you passed out." Moody clapped a hand against Harry's ear and kept talking while Harry rubbed the abused hearing organ, "I hope you're ruddy well happy with yourself!"

Save for Mad-eye's low grumbling there was a morbid silence echoing through the room. Kingsley had conjured stretchers and bewitched them to hover a foot or two off the ground so the wounded could be taken care of and the injure carted out of there. Harry's memory began working again as he saw Tonks looking in silent mourning at Dumbledore, who's face and upper body had been covered by her cloak. His face went pale. He thought perhaps Dumbledore had been killed in the battle after he'd passed out. He looked towards the body of Bellatrix, a look of surprise in her eyes, her maniacal smirk still fastened in her lips-nobody had bothered to throw a cloak over her body.

He began to trudge out of the room, ignoring the stares he was catching from those who'd seen his attack on Bellatrix. Death eaters were being bound left and right as Harry left the room. His eyes trained ahead he walked listlessly. In the brain room he ignored Luna and Ginny as they begged and begged to know what had happened before turning worriedly and darting into the room themselves. Ron was still giggling and laughing off and on beside Hermione, who was slowly beginning to stir. He trudged all the way back up to the atrium and sat himself down in front of the gold fountain.

He slumped, sprawling across the floor with his head resting on the side of the fountain. He let the sound of water splashing into the pool soothe his frantically shaking nerves. He willed away the intense worries and fears about the trouble he'd be in. He slowly drifted into an exhausted sleep. _Perfect..._

~*~*~

"I think we're through here. Someone get the min-" A loud scream broke through Kingsley's words

Moody and Tonks both apparated to the source of the scream, which seemed to be the atrium. Moody spat a stream of curses worthy of a sailor when he caught sight of the cloak. He and Tonks simultaneously shouted stun spells followed by the body bind and silencio and the rope spell, all in rapid succession. Light sprung from their wands like confetti and ropes followed close behind, latching onto the cackling wizard.

Voldemort seemed oblivious to the spells as he stood above the writhing boy and cackled, "The old fool is dead and now Harry Potter will be too! Nothing can stop me now! You will all regret your births soon!" With a triumphant cackle he uttered the one spell that would make his life perfect, "AVADA... KEDAVRA! So long Harry Potter! I'll meet you in the underworld!"

Moody let a out a feral snarl as Harry's screams of anguish fell silent. It was strange, seeing how the spell affected the boy who lived. Tonks clung to a desperate hope that Harry would resist. Would survive like he had before. She almost cried for joy. Harry's eyes had fluttered open. But she was held frozen and silent by the strange look he had. As others came into the atrium they to were frozen in place by the look on his face. Even Voldemort had stopped his banshee-like shrieks of laughter to stare at Harry.

His green eyes were luminescent, casting a strange glow across his own face. His hair was ruffling slightly in a non-existent breeze. He sat up, and then was lifted as if someone had hoisted him up from behind. As his feet settled on the ground his mouth opened and an eerie voice spoke.

"Voldemort. Is that a promise?" came the haunted sound as the boy lifted his wand and aimed it at him. The dark lord laughed, "I'm glad you're happy. You can die a happy man. There was a part of that prophecy you failed to recall...

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches.... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... And either must die at the hands of each other for neither can live while the other survives...but neither can die without the other beside... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies....

"I bet you forgot that part..." The eerie voice continued, "But you know now... Goodbye Voldemort..." A burst of green light exploded from Harry's wand and swallowed Voldemort

He screamed a horrible shrieking caw, like a crow that was being roasted alive. Harry was engulfed in the strange light as well and his mournful cry joined with Voldemort's. The others stared in wide-eyed shock as the two slowly crumpled to the ground and the light died away, taking the horrible noise with them. Everyone stood numb in the silence, they didn't dare move. It was only when the minister and his entourage arrived that they finally shook from their stupor.

It was a long night. St. Mungo's was busy most of it taking care of those injured at the ministry. Harry, Dumbledore, and Voldemort's deaths were already being crammed into the morning edition of the prophet. The Order of the Phoenix all gathered at St. Mungo's to mourn the losses and try to cheer up the battle veterans. Hermione sat beside Ron and cried for a good hour on his shoulder. Molly Weasley sat in the hall with Bill and sobbed harshly just as long as Hermione. Andromeda Tonks stood beside her daughter and gently rubbed her back while she whimpered and sniffled into her mothers cloak. IT was a morbid night; even Moody seemed miserable. And in the back of their minds, they all dreaded the reaction Sirius would give when he awoke. A very long night it was.

~*~*~

He groaned...or tried to. It came out as a strangled exhalation. He tried to open his eyes, but the lids felt so heavy he gave up after only one try. His ears were ringing slightly, but his hearing seemed to be functioning. He was warm, and was lying on what he assumed was a bed. There was a blanket draped across him, or perhaps someone's cloak. He strained his ears to listen, confused and wondering what had happened.

"I don't know! I can't pry him off!" Came the exasperated voice of a female, "I tried everything. I even used my blasted wand! We had three orderlies in here pulling and he just refuses to let go! He isn't even conscious!!!"

"Keep your voice down woman!" Came a scratchy, growling voice on his left, "Wake him up then, if he won't let go. Once he comes to his senses I'm sure-"

The aggravated woman interrupted, "We're not permitted to treat any condition until he lets go. We have to ruddy well figure out what's wrong with the both of them before we start blasting spells and pouring potions down them! And I can't examine either of them until he detaches himself!"

His hearing, which was getting better and better, tuned in to a hushed voice on his right, "For heaven's sake, you call yourself a healer! Stop shouting! There are people sleeping in here, you know. Hermione just finally went to sleep. Poor girl's been crying half the night and you're going to wake her up."

The woman he assumed was a healer gave an odd grunt and stomped away. He heard more voices around him, murmuring and whispering. Occasionally someone touched a hand to his forehead or shook the something that had been thrown across him. He had mistook it for a heavy cloak, but as his senses became sharper he noted that it had too much mass to be anything like that. He groaned again, managing this time to choke out a noise something like a whimper and a grunt combined. There was silence around him.

He recognized the woman from before who'd chastised the healer for shouting, "He's waking up, Arthur!" It was Molly Weasley's voice, "Sirius is waking up!"

"Bout time. Lazy bum only took a small knock to the head. Barely enough to take him down for so long..." Growled Moody from his left

He groaned again, shifting and dragging his hand to cover his eyes. He at last opened his eyes and peered out from between his fingers at the blurry shapes of at least half the Order. As soon as his vision cleared he looked down to see Remus lying on him, his arms locked firmly around his chest. He looked around as more people came by to greet him.

He noted that a few were missing, "Ron and the twins are getting food, Hermione is sleeping, and Tonks went with her mother and Kingsley to settle a few things with the ministry. Mundungus, get off him!!"

Mundungus had flung a big, drunken hug on him, but quickly retreated in fear of Molly. Sirius was still looking around, "Where's Dumbledore...? Molly, is Harry alright? Where's Harry? Harry?!" He got more frantic the more people avoided his gaze; He sat bolt upright, "Where's Harry?! Harry!"

"Sirius..." Arthur Weasley said softly, "Harry and Dumbledore... Died..."

~*~*~

^.^ there we go, chapter two. I'd like to thank Padfoot-loves-moony. My first reviewer! Woohoo! *Hands over a giant Hershey bar* Thanks a lot. And please dun hurt me for killing them... 

. 

.

It had to happen...


	3. Feeling the Loss

A/n: Okies...chapter three. So far so good I suppose. Let's just hope I can keep up with myself and update frequently. I thank everyone who reviewed, and I spit on fan fiction. Net, who keeps tweaking things of it's own accord. Like my summary for instance. But anyways, on with the chapter. There's a couple forming in this chapter, but it's probably not who you think... . I think... .

Pleaz R & R... I'm BEGGING you... I've had the worst Christmas of my life, and I need something to make me happy...

Note to Kat: If there is, I'd know. And if I knew, I'd never tell. ~.^

WARNING: Angst ahead! Blood and alcohol consumption to come! Major depression! WARNING!

~*~*~

"What..." He whispered harshly, looking at them all disbelievingly; Arthur turned away and spoke again, "Harry... *ahem* Harry...used the Death Curse on Lestrange... She died, but the spell hit three other spells and got split into two...the second hit Dumbledore. *Ahem* Harry was passed out from exhaustion and when he woke...he went into the atrium to have a rest I suppose... You-know-who showed up...*Ahem*"

When it was clear that Arthur couldn't talk for the large lump in his throat Moody continued for him, "And he blasted Harry. When we got there we thought he was dead for sure... But the boy sat up, and it was like something picked 'im up... And he spoke with this eerie voice, like there was a hundred people speaking through his voice. And he took Voldemort down with. Don't be a sissy Mundungus, his name ain't gonna kill ya."

Sirius didn't notice Lupin stirring as he growled low in his chest and shot daggers at anyone who would meet his eyes, "He. Is. Not. Dead. You didn't let him die!"

"Sirius, we couldn't stop what happened..." Kingsley said softly, "Denying it won't make it go away... Harry is dead..."

"No!" He barked at them, "He's not dead! He isn't...!" Tears formed in his eyes, "I promised to protect him. I swore! I swore that I would do anything I could to protect Harry! I promised James nothing bad would happen to him!"

As he took deep, shaking breaths he felt Remus' arms slide away and the smaller man sat up, looking blearily around and pressing a tentative palm to the gash on his head, "Sirius? Sirius, you're alright... Thank god... Where are we? Where's Harry...?" He began slowly, gradually coming back to the real world, "Sirius what was with the shouting...?"

"Get off me, Remus." He growled in reply, "I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to talk to any of you. This is your fault!" He snarled at the rest of the room before disappearing , leaving a very confused Remus on the bed and a very guilty group of people standing around him

"What's going on? What happened?" Remus demanded, a shadow already falling over his heart and mind. His hands began to shake as Moody began to tell the story again from the point where Remus had lunged after his best friend. As the story reached it's end, he was shaking all over, his face in his hands. "Oh gods, Sirius..." He murmured softly, "Please don't..."

~*~*~

He sat in his old hideaway cave outside Hogsmeade, far away from Number Twelve, Grimauld Place, and stared through clouded eyes up at the sky. Up at the Dog Star. He was losing focus though, and his vision was sliding in and out of clarity. He was remembering...

~* Flashback *~

_"Sirius..." He began, dragging a shaky hand through his wild black hair, "I don't think I'm going to come out of this alive..."_

"Don't say that, mate. You'll jinx us," Sirius replied playfully

"Be serious, Sirius..." He winced at the unintended pun, "I mean it. I don't know if Lily and I will survive this war... Sometimes I wonder if any of us will survive..."

"James, don't say that.." Sirius said, looking at the cloudy sky from James' porch, "We're gonna make it through this..."

"I know...but Sirius... Could you take care of Harry if something happens..." HE said cautiously, his voice wavering slightly as he spoke his son's name

"Of course! I'm his godfather, mind you. I've practically made the promise already." Sirius said cheerfully, nudging James with his elbow...

"I mean... Promise you'll never let anything happen to him. No matter what... That you'll protect him till the very day you die. As a Marauder and as my friend..."

Sirius looked at him for a moment, then grinned, "I swear it. As a Marauder and as your friend."

~* End Flashback *~

Sirius took a swig from a bottle of fire whiskey, closing his eyes for a moment to block the images swirling in front of them. He took another deep swig, ignoring the grunting and crunching behind him as Buckbeak gnawed on rats that had been nesting in the cave. His feet dangled out over the rocks that littered the ground, his feet tipping back and forth absently.

"Look what a friend you are, Sirius. A great godfather too..." He sneered at himself, "You've gone and gotten your godson and his headmaster killed. His headmaster that saved his bloody life. Yeah, great going Sirius, m'boy. Bloody brilliant." He took another sloppy gulp of whiskey and let his body fall back to rest on the stone floor

It was a warm night, but Sirius was shivering, his body chilled with sorrow. He sighed miserably, the sound almost twisting into a whimper. He suddenly stood up, unsteady on his feet, and threw the now empty bottle to the ground with all his might, shattering it and sending glass flying everywhere. One shard hit and embedded itself in his wrist...

He looked at it strangely for a moment, then pulled it from his skin. He looked down, trying to focus on one thing with his tilting vision. He reached for a large, sharp looking piece. "Ah, that'll do just lovely." He said, not even really knowing what he planned to do with it...

He settled himself in a glass free spot against the wall, near the opening of the cave, and shouted madly into the night, "I'm so _bloody_ brilliant! Want me to take care of little Harry now, James?! I'm a _bleeding_ idiot!! I should be shot by a muggle!!" He cried his distress to the sleeping world, "It should've been me who died! It should've been me and not Harry!"

He propped his knees up and rested his arms on them, cradling his head as he shook and whimpered. He felt so weak. His eyes lifted and caught the shiny glass in his hand. "But I'm not weak..." He lifted his head and examined the glass, his mind working full tilt. "I'm not weak, and I'll prove it."

He rolled his left sleeve up to his elbow and put the shard to his skin. Taking one deep breath he sliced across his perfect forearm. He was surprised at how little it hurt and the second perfect cut was made right beneath the first with ease. He made a third and a fourth, his lips curling into a grin as blood seeped down his arm. He smiled wider and licked his arm, tasting the metallic fluid with relish. "I'm strong. I'm strong..."

For a long moment he sat there, fascinated, occasionally lapping at the blood, but the wound soon scabbed over and failed to amuse him. So he turned to the other wrist and began cutting, deeper and harsher than before. In his drunk delirium he didn't realize for several minutes what he had carved into his arm...

M.

U.

R.

D.

E.

R.

E.

R.

He flew into a fit of hysterical laughter, his mind doing loops and turns. It didn't quite register at first when a loud pop echoed through the room and an audible gasp sounded from his left, resounding with Buckbeak's surprised shuffling of distaste. "Sirius Black, you're off your bloody rocker!"

He turned his head slightly, the smile on his face long replaced by a look of absent dreaminess, "Hullo, Remmie... How are you today? Haven't seen you in a while...I've been in Azkaban, you know."

"Oh, Sirius..." Remus said softly, kneeling down beside him, "How could you do something like this...?" He murmured, tapping Sirius' wrist with his wand to stop the bleeding and glancing at the glass that lay all around, "Come on, Siri... Up you go. You shouldn't do things like this; shouldn't drink, and shouldn't touch glass while you're drunk." He said softly, hoisting the shaky man up and pulling his arm over his shoulder, "You're in no shape to go back, and it's getting late anyhow, so I'll just conjure a bed..."

He soon had a large four-poster sitting against the back wall and a wall illumining the opening from the outside so they couldn't be found. The drunken Sirius was collapsed on the bed, whimpering and shaking softly while Remus sat next to him and stroked his back. It wasn't even five minutes before Sirius, who had by now come to his senses for the most part, began shaking with sobs. Remus pulled his dear friend against his chest and pulled the sheets over them, rubbing his back and murmuring soothing words until he at last settled into a dreamless sleep.

Remus pressed a cheek against his friends cool, midnight hair and sighed tiredly. He couldn't help but think, as he drifted into a shifty sleep, that maybe if he had been there to restrain Harry maybe his closest friend, his only living close friend, wouldn't be in this state. _He wouldn't..._ drawled a small voice in his head, _he'd be dead..._

~*~*~

All the Weasley children, minus Ron , were all gathered in the living room in the Burrow, curled at random intervals around the couch, where their father was dosing. In the kitchen a very sniffling Molly was talking to Tonks over a cup of tea near the counter. Ron and Hermione sat across from each other at the kitchen table, occasionally staring at each other for long periods of time. Near one end of the table a bouquet of bright, multi-colored flowers( A gift from Mr. Lovegood) were halfway visible from beneath a cloth Fred had angrily dropped over it to hide it's cheery brightness.

Hermione spoke for the first time in the five hours she'd been there, "Two days..."

Ron looked her, "It doesn't feel right... Like there's something missing from us..."

She nodded, averting her gaze towards the silly flowers, which shifted their colors every hour or so, "Any word from Sirius or Lupin?"

"No... Lupin vanished just after Sirius did. I expect he's looking for him..."

"Probably..." They were both speaking softly, their whispers barely stretching across the table, "Maybe he's found him..."

"Or maybe they've both gone mad and run off together, shrieking in dismay..." Ginny said gloomily as she flopped down two seats to the left of Hermione

"You should be asleep..." Ron said vaguely, gazing at his mother who'd suddenly began crying again, "Mum wanted you to get some rest..."

"She wanted the both of you to, as well." She said pointedly, "Besides...the silence was so loud I couldn't hear myself think..."

Hermione stood up slowly, catching an odd look from Ron, "I'm going to bed...or to read...or something... I can't sit here like this and rot away at the kitchen table." She slowly dragged herself out of the room and upstairs, at which point Ron knew she wasn't sleeping but reading or toying with some odd or end that she'd nicked from Harry's belongings...

He pulled from his pocket the tiny model Firebolt that Tonks had given Harry for Christmas and watched it fly sluggishly back and forth in front of him. Even Harry's little toy broom was depressed. Ron suddenly stood, throwing his chair back and slamming his fists on the table top so hard it was certain Hermione had heard it from way up in her room.

"I HATE THIS!!" He said loudly as a groggy Arthur Weasley stumbled into the kitchen, "It's not right! HARRY SHOULD BE HERE! HE CAN'T BE DEAD! I CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT HIM!!"

Tonks turned a piteous look on the livid teenager. Mrs. Weasley was gazing sadly at him, her tear-filled eyes knowing and reflecting just as much agony as he was feeling. Arthur gingerly clasped his shoulder... "I know it's hard, Ron... I know Harry was your best friend, like your brother... But he can't come back." He said slowly, annunciating each painful word, "You have to begin to mourn properly... And I'm sure that it'll help when we attend his funeral in a few days..."

Ron turned on him, "You stupid numbskull!" He roared, hearing a whimper from the doorway as Hermione crept back into the room, "NONE OF YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE! I CAN STILL FEEL HIM. HE'S STILL HERE! His voice is still talking... We can't do it! We just can't keep living like Harry isn't here!!!" His voice broke as tears brimmed in his eyes "WE CAN'T-"

"RON, STOP IT!" Hermione sobbed, "I hate it just as much as you....but please, Ron... You're scaring me..." She said as she turned and slumped against the wall

"Oh, Hermione..." He said softly, edging down next to her, "Please don't cry on account of me being an ass... C'mon, 'Mione..." He said, Putting an arm around her shaking shoulders. She turned sideways and flung her arms around his neck to sob into his shoulder... He looked at his mother and father as he stood up, "_We_ can't..." He said before scooping up the crying girl and carting her off up the stairs.

Up in the dark solitude of her room he left Hermione to herself so she could change into her night dress. He himself went to his room and merely stripped to his boxers before falling unceremoniously onto his bed. He was still staring at his ceiling, on the verge of attempting sleep, when he heard a timid knock on his door. He sat up.

"'Mione, is that you...?" He murmured into the darkness...

"Ron, please..." She whispered as she eased the door open, "I don't want to be by myself.. Can I please...-"

He edged over in the bed and moved the sheets, "Sure. Hurry up before Mum hears you..."

She closed the door behind her and darted into his bed, half jumping under the covers as she had when she still feared a monster might crawl from beneath the bed and trip her. She shifted until she was close enough to Ron to feel his breath running through her hair. Ron waited until he was certain she'd gone to sleep before he let himself drift away. It felt odd to have Hermione next to him while he slept, but he didn't mind. And as he drifted off, his sorrow was lifted slightly so that it didn't seem quite so crushing as it had. He tightly hugged the young woman next to him and slept soundly until early afternoon.

~*~*~

A/n:There we are, chapter three. I didn't even think about it until it happened, that I could manage some Hermione/Ron fluff in there... And I've suddenly remembered, please don't let me forget, that there is supposed to be implied Harry/Draco later on... *Sheepish grin*

This chapter seemed kind of sloppy to me, but what do I know. It just didn't seem like it was the best I could've done... And I'm kinda sad from thinking about Sirius crying and such... .o.o. Anyway... 


	4. DISCONTINUING

I've decided to discontinue all of my long fics, except Buy Some Time. Sorry to anyone who cared about them, but I'm sticking to relatively short fics from here on out.


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